Spliced
by Zanfan22
Summary: Even after Abel Cuvier's arrest, splicing still persisted, spreading beyond Gotham. Splicer Rings capture splicers and sell them to the wealthy as pets. Special units are assigned to finding and breaking up these rings to free the captured individuals. Originally written for a college sci-fi class. A possible expansion is in the near future.


" _ **Attention units, approaching destination, prepare for infiltration."**_ A voice crackled over the speakers in the back of the truck 121. The occupants sat at attention and began final adjustments on armor and weapons. Agent Jessie Parks, sitting nearest to the door, clicked the magazine into his gun while glancing over at his companions. To his left sat Officer Ryder who was loading his gun with the laser loads. On Ryder's side sat Officer Marie. Her head was bowed and she was whispering prayers with her rosary clenched tight in her fist. On the opposite side of the truck sat the other agent, Nolan. The dim green lights illuminated his slit eyes glaring at the ceiling. ' _He hates these missions.'_ thought Jessie, but before he could say anything the truck jerked to a stop. Everyone stood, weapons in hand. Visors clicked into place. Jessie slid the door open and peered out at the other three unit trucks. Cold, putrid air filled the compartment. The filtering systems in the visors did little to block out the damp smell.

"Man where are we?" That was Ryder. "It smells worse than my apartment!"

"Ryder, zip it! Pay attention." Marie hissed. Jessie's attention shifted back out into the dark mist. His brain whirled trying to see through the fog. A green light flashed. There it was.

"Okay unit, move out! Metropolis formation!" Jessie said over the commlink. "We're infiltrating the back." Unit 121 creeped over the muddy ground towards the old Jolly Jack Toy Factory. Jolly Jack's was the leader in the toy industry until about twenty years go. Someone decided to market a clown doll intentioned to be cute, but in reality it was really creepy. A few lawsuits from parents of terrified children later, the company shut down, leaving abandoned factories along the east side of the country. The dolls, now collector's items, were worth a fortune. In fact, Jessie's aunt living in Hawaii owed her fortune and early retirement to the grimacing plastic goblins. A small beep went off by Jessie's right ear. "Nolan? Scout ahead, we good?" Nolan made his way to the front and stared into the darkness. He nodded and once again the team went forward. Their mission: free the… Animals? People? Monsters? Jessie wasn't sure how to classify a Splicer.

Once they reached the back door, the rain went from a drizzle to a thick blanket. Ryder stepped forward and pulled a Pick from his belt. For several moments all Jessie could hear was the rain, soft beeping, and the Pick clacking as Ryder entered numbers. The door slid open with a _whoosh_. Nolan gazed into the dark space before nodding. Jessie sent a brief message to the other units before his team entered the building. It was a dimly lit back room, filled with crates of serums and a large computer system. While their helmets filtered most noises and smells, an inhuman stench assaulted the group.

"Slag it," Ryder gagged. "It smells like a zoo's graveyard on a hot day in here!"

"Do you have to be so insensitive?!" Marie cut in. Her tone was cold and collected. "Focus on our objective." Nolan said nothing, his posture and fists tight.

"Agent." Jessie said. Nolan's helmet turned towards the leader. "You going to be alright?" Marie and Ryder stopped bickering and glanced over. Nolan relaxed slightly and nodded. "Alright then, you and Officer M are with me. Ryder," Jessie motioned to the computer, "Get into the system. Get those doors open at the front and back, I also want footage from active cameras. Got it?"

Ryder gave a thumbs up before walking over. He tapped at the glowing computer for a few moments before the metal doors to the other room slid open. Jessie took a deep breath. It was time. "Alright M, Agent, follow me in."

The three walked silently through the doorway. Jessie's stomach dropped to the ground, hard. The stench was a thousand times worse in this large cave-like room. His brain matched vomit, feces, blood, and other substances to the various smells. The trio stood on a raised platform and below were rows upon rows of cages. Cages that would barely fit a large dog let alone a hum-splicer. Whimpers, moans, and growls drifted up to the platform as the door slid shut.

"Blessed Mary," Marie whispered over the comms. Her hand curled tighter around her gun. Nolan stood tense before turning to look at Jessie. Jessie gave a nod, and Nolan leapt down to the main floor. Marie and Jessie clanked down the stairs. At their noise the whimpering grew louder. As the pair walked among the aisles of cages, hissing and scratching could be heard. Jessie glanced to his right. A woman with feline-like eyes, ears, and whiskers cowered further back in her prison. One of the small cages held six children spliced with dogs, giving them tails and bigger, clumsier 'paws'. Two of them growled at him. Some cages down held a man with fangs and an elongated body twisted in an unnatural position. He hissed as they walked by.

"Sir." Jessie jumped at hearing Nolan's voice. He turned and saw his fellow agent standing at the end of the aisle. "There's something you will want to document." The leader followed Nolan to a far corner of the warehouse, avoiding pools of blood and syringes. How could this possibly get any worse? But it did. Piles of dismembered Splicers filled a corner of the gigantic room. They were all missing various limbs, arms, legs. Jessie stared.

"They, they aren't feed-"

"I'm afraid so, sir." Though Jessie couldn't see Nolan's face through the visor, he could hear low growls over the commlink. Jessie motioned for Nolan to follow. Marie was already waiting at the other end at another door. This, this was their target. Nolan and Marie cocked their guns and waited. Jessie activated his commlink.

"Ryder, alert the other units that we are in position and ready."

"Roger." Jessie waited. The few seconds felt like minutes. Finally Ryder's voice crackled, "Infiltrate now!" Ryder's hack opened the door to a crowded room with a stage and an audience. An auction.

"EVERYBODY HANDS ON YOUR HEADS NOW!" Jessie's voice sounded. Several men reached for their weapons, but Marie had them down with no problem. A yowl echoed, and Nolan leapt onto the stage. He had shed his gloves, revealing long claws. The attending audience started screaming and heading for the other exits, but the other units burst in. It all ended rather quickly after that.

Red and blue lights illuminated the falling raindrops. After reporting to his superiors and helping load the prisoners into cars, Jessie went to search out his team. He found Nolan first. Two members of Unit 34 were trying to herd him towards the groups of splicers. "You dregs!" Jessie shouted. The two stopped and had the nerve to look surprised. "He's one of us! Can't you see the uniform?!" Nolan's uniform was in tatters but it still clearly marked him as an agent. "Come with me, Nolan." Nolan crept forward. His green eyes remained on the muddy ground. His pointed ears drooped slightly as he began to walk with Jessie.

"His kind doesn't belong here!" one of the men called. "He's a glorified pet, nothing else! He belongs in a zoo or som-" The man didn't get to finish. Jessie had removed his visor and fried the man. His eye was still warm from the blast. The other man wisely ran off. Nolan's surprised expression felt like a punch in the gut. Jessie wrapped an arm around the man's shoulders.

"I don't care what freaky stuff you got into in high school. You're in my unit, rightfully so." Nolan said nothing. "I couldn't care less if you had goat horns or a rainbow tail. I have Agent 21, Nolan, on my team. The best of the best!" He still appeared unconvinced. Jessie let out a sigh and the pair began towards their truck. Jessie knew he would face repercussions for his action, but it was worth it. Splicers weren't going to gain anything without people standing with them. Ryder was already at the truck. He wore a big smile and gave a wave as the two approached.

"Where've you twips been?" He exclaimed. "Big Boss claims this was the biggest ring break-up of the century! And we were a part of it!" Nolan pushed past him and into the back. Ryder looked confused. "What's with him?" Then he began to prattle about pictures being taken when they returned to the station. Jessie ignored him and decided to go hunt for Marie.

She was sitting in the back of the medical truck. Her left leg had been crushed badly during the fight. Jessie watched as a medical officer torched it off, sparks flew and the smell of melted steel filled the confined space. Marie looked mostly unfazed. Her leg didn't bother her. The sights inside the warehouse did. She was the newest member; she still didn't understand how humans could do this to each other. Some may argue that there are animals and people involved, but she firmly stood by just people. He finally asked, "How are you holding up?"

"Fine. The leg will take a few minutes to reinstall. You can head back; I'll catch a ride with another unit."

"Nah, we'll wait for you. You can keep Ryder in check." She smiled as her fingers played with her rosary. Another medical officer insisted on looking at Jessie's cranial visual implants for damage. He was finished in a minute or two, then the agent was cleared to return to his unit. Nolan sat furthest from the door, staring at the floor, sheathing and unsheathing his claws. His ears looked more relaxed now, but he didn't look at Jessie as he climbed in.

Ryder had his arm taken apart. Plates and screws riddled the seat beside him. He was poking at the processors and wires that appeared like veins. 'Upgrading' he called it. Jessie remembered when he joined the force and got tested for implants. They test to find your strong points. His 'natural leader' and 'strategic planning' capabilities earned him his mechanical brain. Of course the scientists insisted it was still his brain but with 'insert twenty syllable word here.' That and his eye implant. When he visited his parents to show them after the operation, they beamed with pride. The entire force has undergone implantations. Wayne Enterprises developed the technology and soon it spread across the country. Crime rates had been dramatically reduced.

Jessie snapped out of his thoughts as Marie clanked back into the truck. She slid in next to Nolan. He offered her a small smile, and she laid her flesh arm on his shoulder. Her enhanced limbs made him uncomfortable. The compartment shook slightly as the truck lifted then smoothed out as it hovered back to the station. The ring members and the potential buyers would be questioned and, hopefully, thrown in Blackgate for eternity. The Splicers? The hospital, rehab, the human enough ones would be able to rejoin society. But some, some were too far gone. If lucky, they would go to volunteer caregivers. The unlucky ones would stay at centers dedicated to their kind. The press would shame the people involved and salute the force for a job well done. Articles about helping Splicers and _'giving them your hearts'_ would appear. Pictures of the injured, feral creatures would be published. A few of the force rescuing them as well.

Nolan never got his picture published. He wasn't what the public wanted. He wasn't rescued from a ring; he had a successful career, and he wasn't helpless. Parents wanted to prevent their children from getting involved with splicing; they didn't want it to be seen as anything but harmful. Jessie knew from Nolan's file that his work was done in high school. Some back alley injector offered to do it. Nolan got lucky. Most of the injectors offered faulty genes or would sell you to a ring in five minutes. The practice itself became illegal sometime in the forties, shortly after it began. Abel Curvier, the geneticist and founder in Gotham, was arrested for trying to murder the D.A. who was attempting to ban his institution. Parents were horrified at the trend of being spliced with an animal. In the end, they got their wish. But back alley dealers were still offering low quality, but often effective, genes.

Problems arose, Jessie recalled. Teenagers who were spliced and needed surgeries or organ transplants were in trouble. Even the tissue replicators were unable to process the mutated DNA to replicate replacements. Word on the street spread that wealthy, sick-minded blue bloods were paying big money for 'pets'. Then the abductions began to happen. People blamed the splicing enthusiasts for their families and friends being abducted. The issue quieted down some, but selling rings were still widespread. No one really gave Nolan a hard time that Jessie knew of. His animal characteristics were helpful during missions. He had greater eyesight and hearing than most humans. He was able to move quickly and silently. Of course, one of the other unit members would occasionally crack a cat joke every once in a while, but Nolan didn't seem to mind. But there were some members that didn't think he belonged with them.

Nolan himself didn't argue much, except when one of the troublemakers approached him directly. It was one of the only instances that Jessie witnessed Nolan getting violent. The other man was on the ground with blood trailing down his pale face. Nolan towered above him, screaming that he was more human than any tin hearted member of the force. "At least I'm all flesh, natural blood-filled flesh!" he had hissed. He then stalked past Jessie, disappearing for a few hours.

But Jessie never forgot his words. Was he human? While his brain wasn't as organic as it was when he was a child, it was still him, just more… efficient. Marie was still very human despite her bionic limbs. She was godlike herself, but still attended Mass and knelt to another.

Jessie could feel the truck lowering. They were back at the station. His team stretched as he opened the door. Flashing lights of cameras and floating CamBots greeted them. Various reporters' voices joined together, shouting questions and asking for details. Ryder grinned and began telling his own version of the night. Marie stood by a smaller group, talking about the care the rescued "people" would need. A group of reporters approached Jessie. His brain then whirled to attention, ready to process information, to answer questions.

But his eye could only notice a silent cat-like figure prowling away in the darkness.


End file.
